MILF faction wants peace talks resumed

A faction in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had expressed its desire to resume peace talks with the government to prevent further loss of lives and displacement of civilians in affected areas, Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) chief Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan said yesterday.

The military, on the other hand, said they are now receiving more surrender feelers from some ranking MILF commanders following the mass surrender of over 200 separatist rebels in Carmen, North Cotabato last Friday.

Ampatuan said some MILF commanders who belong to a moderate faction of the separatist guerrilla movement relayed the message to him through emissaries.

"Except for the hard line commanders, the general feeling among MILF leaders is the resumption of peace talks to prevent further loss of life and properties," Ampatuan told The STAR.

The OMA chief, however, did not identify the moderate MILF commanders or their areas of operation but said they represent a big bulk of MILF fighters in key regions of Mindanao.

Ampatuan said the resumption of peace talks was also supported by multisectoral Christian and Muslim groups which initiated the peace caravan in Mindanao to appeal for the MILF guerrillas and government forces for a ceasefire.

He said the groups made the appeal to MILF chief Hashim Salamat to recall his all out war order against the government.

Some 200 MILF guerrillas who surrendered to the military last Friday said they decided to surrender after realizing the futility of fighting the government in achieving peace and development.

The rebels, belonging to the 7th Brigade of the National Guards Division, a unit of the MILF known for its unwavering loyalty to Salamat, said they are also worried of the serious implications of declaration of an all out war by their leader.

Army spokesman Maj. Julieto Ando said their intelligence units are now validating the feelers which were mostly channeled through local officials and Muslim religious leaders.

He said two of those who sent surrender feelers were loyal followers of Salamat trained in Afghanistan in the manufacture of explosive devices.

Ando said the leader of the surrenderees, Teng Matalam, admitted their ranks had been decimated and their morale had been low following the capture of their stronghold in Pikit.

Matalam also admitted carrying out bombing operations against the power line pylons of Napocor located in Pagalungan, Pagagawan and Pikit last month.

"We want to live in peace. We are already tired of fighting against the government with our stomachs constantly empty. So many of our comrades have died this way after the military launched offensives in Pikit," Matalam said in Pilipino.

Following Matalam’s surrender, Ando said they have been flooded with messages, all signifying their intention to avail of the government’s reconciliation program.

Ampatuan, for his part, revealed the remaining hard-line MILF commanders were carrying out the retaliatory attacks by bombing power transmission pylons.

The military accused the MILF of carrying out the spate of bombings, the latest which occurred late Wednesday which left 18 million people in Mindanao in the dark.

Even as the MILF denied the accusations, the military cited the earlier threats made by the Muslim guerrillas to carry out retaliatory attacks.

Ampatuan said "the attacks on (power) transmission lines are desperate acts carried out by displaced MILF guerrillas."– With Roel Pareño, Mike Frialde